Steel door construction



April3, 1934, R. F. ANDERSON 1,953,739

STEEL DQQR CONSTRUCTION 7 Filed May 8. 1931 Z 25 ii Z i: INVENTOR ii 1 F finder 5072 Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNIT } 1,953,739 STEEL DOOR CONSTRUCTION Roy F. Anderson, Detroit, Mich., assignor to The Murray Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application May 8, 1931, Serial No. 535,889

9 Claims.

The invention relates to the construction of doors for automobile bodies, and particularly to the construction of all metal doors.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a door with strengthening members for its rails which shall constitute an extension of the panel at the window opening and form a portion of the glass guide run which encompasses the opening.

1 Another object of the invention is to extend portions of the strengthening members, provided below the window opening, in such manner as to complete the guide run therebelow for the window glass. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide offset portions throughout the length of the strengthening members which engage the web portion of the rails; to strengthen the rails and to brace and support the strengthening member and to eifect, through the strengthening memher, a unit assembly with the rail and panel.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the combination, arrange ment and construction of the various parts, of my 1 improved structure described and claimed in the accompanying specification, and shown in the drawing, in which: i Fig. .1 is an elevational view of an automobile door embodying features of my invention taken from theinside thereof,

Figs. 2 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged sectional views of the structure shown in Fig. 1 taken on the lines 2 --2, 3--3, 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, thereof,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the structure shown inFig. 3 taken on the line 66 thereofl'and Fig. Tie a broken view, in side elevation, of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3. V

.In the construction of all metal automobile doors, it has been the practice to provide a relatively large number of separate metal parts, which, after being formed into predetermined shapes, are joined and assembled together to constituteacomplete fabricated door structure. The employment of such a large number of parts not only increased the manufacturing cost and that of the assembly but the weight of the door was also increased which was very undesirable.

In practicing my invention I utilize the rails and the panel, conventionally employed in the art and in addition provide bracing members for the rails which are preformed to constitute a portion of the glass guide run and to provide frame or rail engaging offset portions which strengthen the framing and the members.

. In the drawing, I have illustrated a door designated generally by the numeral 10, the main parts I of which consist of an outer panel 11, which formsthe enire outer surface of the door, an inner panel 12, which forms the inner face of the door below the window opening, side frame members 13 and a cooperating top frame member 14, which constitute the framing for the sides and top of the door, bracing members 15, which engage the web of the frame members and the extending portions about the window opening, for supporting and bracing the panel to the framing and for constituting a portion of the glass guide run, and a window molding member 16 which cooperates with the guide run of the bracing member for retaining a slidable glass window within the confines of the framing.

Referring particularly to the bracing member 15,illustrated in the various figures of the draw! ing, it will be observed that the member is constructed with a main web portion 17, which constitutes the bottom of the guide run for the window glass. The outer edge of theweb portion is provided with an upstanding flange 18 and a sloping web portion 19 extends from the inner edge of the web portion 17 to the web portion of the framing.

Intermediate the length of the bracing member 15 the web portions 17 and 19 are offset outwardly toward the framing at a plurality of points, to effect flat frame engaging web portions 21, which are integral portions of the bracing member 15, being joined to the web portions 1'? and 19 by the sloping side portions 22. The outer end of the web portions 21 extend upwardly, as at 23, to constitute an integral portion of the upstanding flange 18. This formation of the bracing mem ber 15 may be effected between a pair of forming dies in a well known manner. 1

The bracing member 15 is preferably made into three lengths and assembled together on the frame members 13 and 14, as illustrated in Fig. 1, with the corner portions engaging each other and extending to the window opening to completely cover the corners and to strengthen them so completely that no corner bracing elements need be employed.

The framing or side rail members for the door are provided with a main web portion 24, normal to the plane of the door, which has an outwardly away in its upper portion to effect a window opening having the edges thereabout flanged inwardly to form an ornamental molding 26 as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and '7, which is extended toward the web portion 24 of the rail member, at 27, and inwardly therefrom in parallel relation to the web portion, at 28, to provide an angle shaped extension at the sides and top of the window opening. The inwardly extending portion at the bottom of the window opening, is extended downwardly, in the plane of the door, to efiect an engaging member which extends across the entire width of the window glass.

In the preferred method of assembly of the door structure, the bracing members 15, are first secured to the frame members 13 and 14 by welding, brazing or otherwise securing the web portions 21 thereof to the frame. The inner panel 12 may then be assembled on the inner edge of the frame members 13 by welding or otherwise suitably supporting it on the flange 26 thereof. The panel 11 may then be assembled on the front edge of the frame 13 by having the edges of the panel bent over the overlap flan es 25 and the extension 27 or 28 of the window opening thereof; welded or otherwise attached to the flange 18 or the web 1? respectively, as is most convenient. The extend ing portions 28 are cut away at predetermined points, as at 29 of Figs. 6 and '7 for the purpose of receiving the offset portions 21 of the bracing members.

The molding 16 may be releasably supported on the sloping web 19 by the bolts 31, as shown in Fig. 3, one end of the molding engaging the flange 26, the other end engaging the upper portion of the web. The side 32 of the molding completes the guide run about the window opening, for the window glass, and is removable for permitting the insertion of the glass to within the guide run.

To complete the guide run below the window opening, portions of the sloping sides 19 are sheared therefrom to effect tongue 33, as shown in Fig. 5, which are bent into parallelism with the flange 18 to form U-shaped portions at intervals along the bracing member 15 below the window opening, for guiding the window glass therebelow.

The bracing member 15 is itself strengthened by having the offset webs 1'7 and 21 thereof joined by the sloping sides 19 and 22 which form box like structures throughout the length of the member. The upstanding flange l8 and 23 further braces the webs 17 and 21 against lateral movement being a continuation of each other and the webs. When the bracing member, so strengthened, is attached to the web of the frame or rail and to the extending portions about the window opening, a door is in this manner fabricated; which has increased strength per unit weight; which is capable of quick and economical assembly and which provides guide runs for the window glass throughout the length of the bracing member which are offset intermediate their length and from the web portion of the door frame.

While I have illustrated and described but a single embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions, additions and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, a frame having a web and an outwardly projecting flange constituting a door overlap, a reinforcing member of angle section extending across the top and sides of said frame forming a portion of the glass guide run which is offset at intermediate points throughout its length for constituting portions which engage the web of the frame, a portion of said member between said offset portion sloping from said guide run portion to the web of the frame.

2. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, a rail having a web and an outwardly projecting flange which constitutes a door over lap, a panel having a window opening therein supported on said rail by having its outer edges bent over said flange, extending portions at the top and sides of the window opening, bracing members of angle section for said rail having the web portion engaging said rail offset therefrom at predetermined intervals for effecting projections constituting the bottom of the glass guide runs, the extended portions at the window opening being recessed to extend within said projections.

3. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, a rail having a web and an outwardly projecting flange which constitutes a door overlap, a panel having a window opening therein supported on said rail by having its outer edges bent over said flange, extending portions at the top and sides of the window opening, a reinforcing member of angle section provided on the inner surface of said rail, intermediate portions of the frame-engaging web of said member being extended inwardly of the rail to constitute bottom portions of a glass guide run, the outer surface of said projections being engaged by extended portion of said window opening.

4. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, a rail having a web and an outwardly projecting flange which constitutes a door overlap, a panel having a window opening therein supported on said rail by having its outer edges bent over said flange, the top and side reveal portions of said window opening being extended to have portions thereof engage the web of said rail and to have intermediate portions therebetween extend inwardly from said web to form projections which constitute the bottom of glass guide runs, which portions are further extended to the rail and joined to the first said portions, said extension at the sides of the window opening being further extended laterally to reinforce the lower part of the side portions of said rail.

5. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, a rail having a web and an outwardly projecting flange which constitutes a door overlap, a panel having a window opening therein supported on said railby having its outer edges bent over said flange, the top and side reveal 1 portions of said window opening being extended to have portions thereof engage the web of said rail and to have intermediate portions therebetween extend inwardly from said web to form projections which constitute the bottom of glass guide runs, which portions are further extended to the rail and joined to the first said portions, said extension at the sides of the window opening being further extended laterally to reinforce the lower part of the side portions of said rail and upstanding tongues pressed from the further extended portions to constitute the adjacent sides of the glass guide runs below the window opening.

6. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, rail members extending across the top and two sidesof said door and having an outwardly projecting flange which constitutes a door overlap, bracing members for said rail having portions of a glass guide run therein and engaging the web of the rail at predetermined intervals at its top and sides, and a panel engaging the overlap portion of said rail and the bracing mem her at the window opening.

7. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, rail members extending across the top and two sides of said door and having an outwardly projecting flange which constitutes a door overlap, bracing members for said rail having portions of a glass guide run therein and engaging the web of the rail at predetermined intervals at its top and sides, a panel engaging the overlap portion of said rail and the bracing member at the window opening, and upstanding tongues provided on said bracing member below the window opening for completing the glass guide run therebelow.

78. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, rail members extending across the top and two sides of said door and having an outwardly projecting flange which constitutes a door overlap, bracing members for said rail having portions of a glass guide run therein and engaging the web of the rail at predetermined intervals at its top and sides, a panel engaging the overlap portion of said rail and the bracing member at the window opening, and removable molding associated with said bracing members at the window openings to complete the glass run thereabout.

9. A door for a vehicle body including, in combination, rail members extending across the top and two sides of said door and having an outwardly projecting flange which constitutes a door overlap, bracing members for said rail having portions of a glass guide run therein and engaging the web of the rail at predetermined intervals at its top and sides, a panel engaging the overlap portion of said rail and the bracing member at the window opening, said bracing members abutting each other at the top corners and extending to the corner edges of the window opening for strengthening the corners of the door.

ROY F. ANDERSON. 

